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Randy Moss not the best wide receiver ever, but he's establishing his legacy

Chuck McGill, Charleston Daily Mail

Posted:
01/31/2013 06:35:11 AM PST

Updated:
01/31/2013 06:36:51 AM PST

Moss this, Moss that. Moss this, Moss that. The past 48 hours of Super Bowl coverage has been dominated by Randy Moss, who could get his first championship ring this Sunday when his San Francisco 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens.

At Media Day in New Orleans on Tuesday, Moss took his seat in front of a Super Bowl XLVII backdrop and said: "I really think I'm the greatest receiver to ever play the game."

Suddenly, attention was diverted from Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers' young starting quarterback, and Alex Smith, the man usurped by Kaepernick midseason. On national sports talk shows, nary a word was mentioned of Moss' fellow receiver, Michael Crabtree, who was the subject of a police investigation on a sexual assault claim earlier this month. Crabtree was not charged, but Tuesday was Crabtree's first extended media session since the issue surfaced.

Instead, radio and social media buzz surrounded Moss, who ranked 110th in the National Football League in receiving yards (434) this season.

The reaction was predictable. Nothing new was said about Moss, the former Marshall star.

Brash. Cocky. Delusional. Same old Randy, so out of touch that he actually believes he's better than Jerry Rice.

Getting "Mossed" used to mean burning a defensive back. Maybe the verb should include duping media and fans.

I'm guessing Moss aced his media courses at Rand University.

My theory, as you've probably figured out, is Moss intentionally threw himself into a firestorm so the heat would be centered around him.

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Hey, he's been a decoy for much of the season. Why not?

Former NFL receiver Michael Irvin shared his thoughts on Moss this morning on The Dan Patrick Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television sports talk program.

"Brilliant on Randy's part," Irvin said. "Absolutely brilliant.

"Randy knows. There's no possible way we can make you top dog. You have not a ring upon your finger. The receptions you have caught - and you have caught many - have went for nada. Jerry Rice's receptions have gone for the end game, which is Super Bowls.

"(Rice) has more in every category than anybody that ever lived, plus he has the Super Bowl rings."

The conversation is moot, Irvin asserted. Yet here we are, days before the Super Bowl, and the spotlight is shining bright on a player who finished fourth on his own team in receiving yards this season.

The glance at the career numbers for Rice and Moss draw a clear line between them, although most pundits wouldn't argue with Moss being on the Mount Rushmore of NFL receivers.

Rice is first in receiving yards (22,895); Moss is third (15,292).

Rice is first in receptions (1,549); Moss is ninth (982). Rice and Moss are first and second in touchdown catches, but Rice has a sizeable lead (197-156).

Will Moss catch Rice in any of those categories? Consider this: The career numbers for Moss at 35 are similar to Rice, who had 1,050 receptions for 16,377 yards and 156 touchdowns after his age 35 season.

Of course, Rice followed that up with six consecutive 800-yard seasons and tacked on 41 more touchdowns before retiring at 42 years old.

Moss, on the other hand, hasn't had a truly productive year since 2009, his final full season with the New England Patriots. In 2010, Moss spent time with the Patriots, Vikings and Titans. After a year in retirement, Moss returned this season with the 49ers.

Their legacies are vastly different, and as Irvin mentioned, Moss has no hardware to flash. Rice has three Super Bowl rings.

Moss reiterated his point again Wednesday, but why back down from the narrative? He said he revolutionized the game, which is hard to argue. Numbers don't tell the entire story, he said, which is also true.

Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball history, but not many would argue he's the greatest hitter, right?

Moss made a similar argument Wednesday.

"If you sit here and just said, 'Who is the greatest running back?' Statistically it is Emmitt Smith. People would say Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers or Jim Brown. Their numbers do not match Emmitt Smith, but people would say Emmitt Smith is the best running back?"

DJ Steve Porter compiled several Moss one-liners into a video that has nearly five million views on YouTube.

"I'm going to say what I want to say," Moss repeats in Porter's song.

"Did I say anything stupid today?"

Stupid? Nah. Savvy? Yep.

"Sometimes we think brothers are not as smart because you make comments like 'straight cash homey,'" Irvin told Dan Patrick on Wednesday, "but obviously he's smarter than you think."

Indeed.

And if you exhausted any energy arguing the hottest topic from Super Bowl Media Day, consider yourself Mossed.